quête:rein

Thawra Records and Tiny House Music are proud to announce Nafas, the debut original album by Palestinian vocalist, researcher, and composer Salwa Jaradat, set for release in March 2026.
Rooted in a traditional Arabic singing practice yet shaped by a layered and deeply personal artistic journey, Nafas marks a powerful first statement from an artist whose work moves between heritage, research, and lived experience. The album emerges from years of musical and feminist inquiry, giving renewed breath to voices, emotions, and histories that have long existed on the margins.

Salwa Jaradat’s artistic formation is grounded in classical Arabic music and oral tradition, with studies at the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music in Palestine and later in musicology in Lebanon. Alongside her work as a performer, researcher, and archivist, she has developed a practice that treats music as a space of memory, resistance, and continuity. These threads converge in Nafas—an album that does not seek to modernize tradition, but rather to inhabit it differently, allowing it to speak in the present tense.
Developed through an intensive artistic residency in Lebanon, Nafas brings together a core ensemble of regional musicians, with Jaradat’s voice at its center—measured, expansive, and deeply intentional. Across six compositions, the album unfolds patiently, moving between stillness and momentum, intimacy and collectivity, breath and release.
Nafas will be released digitally and on vinyl, reinforcing Thawra Records and Tiny House Music’s ongoing commitment to long-form artistic statements and physical formats as vessels for care, depth, and listening.

illo.trio are representatives of the contemporary jazz scene who have already made their mark on numerous stages through other the world. Seamlessly blending elements of different styles, the musicians reinterpret familiar forms in fresh ways, filling them with unconventional meanings and stepping beyond the boundaries of expectation.

The new album is titled Wandering. It brings together 10 compositions that invite each listener to embark on a search for meaning and answers to essential questions.

This is a multifaceted journey where dramatic episodes coexist with retro-wave vibes, intimate chamber lyricism shifts into psychedelic phantasmagorias, and the trio's concise acoustic sound is interwoven with rich electronic textures and experimental effects.

Dorian Concept returns with "Miniatures," a collection of his renowned one-take synthesizer recordings that he’s been known for sharing online since the mid-2000s. “This release was right under my nose” he says. Over the past two decades, Dorian Concept has uploaded videos of himself "fooling around" on various synthesizers and keyboards – long before the rise of short-form content. These signature one- to two-minute performances have sparked countless covers, remixes and reinterpretations by musicians and producers alike. Through this project, Dorian Concept aims to celebrate a long-standing bond with his instruments and honor it in the form of a photo album.

In his own words:

As a kid, every night before bed, I would sit in the same place and draw a comic. I rarely finished them, but I couldn’t go to sleep without having started one. These "Miniatures" and the preceding videos I’ve recorded come from the same place. They’re the expression of a ritual.
Around 2020, I created a compact setup using three devices – a mono synthesizer, an analogue reverb and a looper –which I separated from the rest of the studio. Every day, before I started working, I would improvise on this small setup and at the end of every month, I would record a video and share it with the world. These songs were made in front of you, in a Truman-Show like fashion.
Now they feel like diary-entries that capture the timeline of a deepening relationship, the harvest of limitation and repetition, and the beauty of simplicity.

The cover art is a drawing by the esteemed Austrian artist Leopold Strobl (courtesy of Gallery Gugging), who is known for his distinctive small-format work. The closing track, “An Unopened Letter,” features the genre-defying guitarist and producer Bibio.

ESCAPE-ISM — the found-sound dreamdrama— are back in action & out in front. And this time, they’re leading a “Charge of the Love Brigade. ”This “charge” isn’t the traditional scramble across a muddy, bloody field though, like in the days of yore. This one is a furtive insinuation into the senses of the tuned-in listener.
Their fifth record, and fourth “sound” record — (the third one was “A Protest Against Sound”- an entirely silent LP) — “Charge of the Love Brigade” is revolutionary in its own right. Besides being packed with tunes — super-hits such as “Black Gold,” “Last Of The Sellouts,” “The Rebel Outlaw,” & “Fire in Malibu,” for exam- ple, Charge of the Love Brigade proposes a reformation of the traditional notes and scales; an entire new sound alphabet!
That’s right, ESCAPE-ISM —the “act of musical vandalism”— famous for their development of new prototypes for stomping & smashing, are reforming the scales, chords, & notes (e.g. A, B, F#, etc) that comprise musical literacy to achieve the group’s primary aim: the repurposing of music as we know it. Though many musicians of note have operated their instruments with "alternative tunings," up until now no one has obliterated tuning absolutely or abolished letter-notes for the destruction of bourgeois society.
According to ESCAPE-ISM, this will have a very profound effect: “Music will no longer be cordoned off from the rest of experience as a commodified, specialty freak show, but instead be a pastime which can be prac- ticed and enjoyed –not only by non-musicians and amateurs– but also by plant life, wild animals, and even inanimate objects such as rocks.
“The violent overthrow of musical conventions will lead to the reintegration of humanity into the natural order, the reordering of life itself into a cosmic congruity. This means the convention of time itself will be ended.” Like so-called nature itself, the ESCAPE-ISM group is also on a “loop.”
Play “Charge of the Love Brigade” and listen as ESCAPE-ISM go “over the top” against the note-letters of accepted musicality in a world premiere of a new upside-down antiscale.

Wenn der Toifel (Berliner Weisse) mal alleine!!! Mit VÖ Nummer 50 beschert uns Smith & Miller Records den Toifel solo! "Für immer euer Feind" - eine Platte, wie sie ehrlicher nicht sein könnte. Hart, kompromisslos und ähnliche Floskeln stehen bei den meisten Auskopplungen in der Beschreibung, doch wenn man dann reinhört ist alles mehr Schein als sein. Toifel's Solo Debüt allerdings könnte ehrlicher und direkter nicht sein. Ein aggressiver Faustschlag gegen geheuchelte Freundschaften, Respektlosigkeit und Arroganz der Gesellschaft. Klare, deutliche Worte ohne Maulkorb direkt vom Herz auf die Zunge, wird diese Platte das Genre Streetpunk auf ein ganz neues Level heben. Lieder die im ersten Moment frustrieren aber im Nachgang Hoffnung machen und dem Hörer die Hand reichen,die dunkelsten Zeiten durchzustehen. 12 mitsingtaugliche Hymnen wie sie von Vielen lange ersehnt wurden. Fans von Berliner Weiße, OXO 86, Biertoifel, Loikaemie, 4 Promille, Gumbles, Stomper 98... werden sich froien! Zwölf Songs auf 180gr neon green/ black marbled Vinyl, limitiert, handnummerierte 1.000 Stück mit Insert oder als Digipac-CD mit Booklet.

Nach dem großen Erfolg des Comeback-Albums "IDAG" aus dem Jahr 2025 kehrt die legendäre schwedische Heavy-Rock-Band Witchcraft mit einem eindrucksvollen und intimen neuen Kapitel zurück, das den Titel "A Sinner's Child" trägt. Gründer, Sänger und Visionär Magnus Pelander reduziert den Sound auf dieser neuen 5-Track-EP auf seine reine Seele. Zwischen der melodischen Proto-Doom-Tiefe von ,Drömmen Om Död Och Förruttnelse" und ,Själen Reser Sig", über den leuchtenden Folk der Lead-Single ,A Sinner's Child" und deren Fortsetzung ,Sinner's Clear Confusion" bis hin zum gefühlvollen akustischen Klagelied ,Even Darker Days", bewegen sich diese Songs, welche von dem Multi-Instrumentalisten aus einem persönlicheren, unmittelbareren Ansatz heraus gedacht wurden. Die Songs präsentieren Pelanders Songwriting in seiner bewegendsten und verletzlichsten Form - ein direkter Zugang zu den eindringlichen Melodien und der emotionalen Tiefe, die das Vermächtnis von Witchcraft seit über zwei Jahrzehnten prägen. Sie sind Beleg für die zeitlose Kraft einer Stimme, einer Melodie und der Rohstoffe des Rock, destilliert zu ihrer Essenz - ein starker Epilog zu "IDAG". CD sowie LP erhältlich

Far from being a nostalgic exercise, the record reasserts their daring artistry, merging legacy and rebirth. Known for melodic minimalism, elegant melancholy, and pulsing electronics, the band has often been compared to Depeche Mode, New Order, or Joy Division, yet their singular identity has always set them apart. On this new album, they reinvent their sonic language, blending vintage synths with classical textures and luminous modern production. The result is a sensory journey where light and shadow converse, where poetry meets pulse, reaffirming their timeless relevance. Their influence extends across genres: sampled by Madlib, reinterpreted by Tricky, reimagined by Theophilus London, and remixed by DJs such as Marcel Dettmann. Tributes, reissues, and appearances in cinema and fashion underscore their resonance, from Lucie Borleteau's Chanson Douce movie to catwalks by Chloe.

Born in Marseille in the early 1980s and led by Alain Seghir alongside Catherine Loy , Brigitte Balian , and Beverley Jane Crew , Martin Dupont left a mythic legacy with tracks like ' Inside Ou't and 'Just Because...' before dissolving in 1987. Rediscovered through Minimal Wave reissues, their music captivated a new generation of underground and electronic enthusiasts. Today, Martin Dupont are reborn. Seghir and Crew, joined by Sandy Casado, Thierry Sintoni, and Olivier Leroy, embark on a world tour that affirms their unique ability to move and inspire. You Smile When It Hurts proves that their visionary sound has never been more alive

Limited Green LP is for Indies only. all LPs include a DL card. Island Family is the fifth album from Isle-of-Eigg dwelling electro-acoustic psych-pop wonder Pictish Trail, AKA Johnny Lynch. A strange, unpredictable, sardonic and yet deeply personal record inspired by all from Fever Ray to The Flaming Lips, Liars, Mercury Rev and Beck, Island Family is Pictish Trail's contrarian view of arcadia; a search for the euphoric in the bucolic, bound up in sometimes conflicting ideas and feelings around nature and environment, sincerity and artifice, escapism and belonging. It's an album about how no man can remain an island, however hard he might try. Released by Fire Records, with support from Johnny's own label Lost Map, and produced by long-term collaborator Rob Jones (The Voluntary Butler Scheme, The Gene Dudley Group), 'Island Family' opens with its title track, a song of death, ghosts and the ties that bind, fusing abrasive electronic beats with a tongue-in-cheek fireside folk refrain and the haunted ice cream van melody of a digitally reincarnated traditional Scottish jig. A purgative surrender to nature's whim driven by a clattering machine drumbeat rolled in a puddle of filthy dirty fuzz, 'Natural Successor' is five-and-a-half-minutes of cathartic churning bass. 'In The Land of The Dead' is an eight-bit glitch-core reflection on island party excesses spasming into existential dread and regret, suitably accompanied by a funereal mariachi band. It's followed by the epic 'It Came Back', the understated verses and arms-aloft falsetto chorus of which are accompanied by a tense, foreboding bass-driven electro hip hop instrumental with (spoiler) a brain-shattering industrial-metal meltdown. 'Melody Something' is the album's purest moment, a cautiously uplifting solar-powered-ballad about losing track of time in the cycle of the seasons, and the gap between memory and reality. Shapeshifting closer 'Remote Control' is a channel hopping cabin-fever-dream flipping from warped boyband ballad to deep-fried fuzz pop. "One of my favourite artists" Lauren Laverne, BBC 6 Music

Die französisch-afrikanische Künstlerin Amy Gadiaga (AH-mee GAH-dee-ah-gah) ist eine in London lebende Bassistin, Sängerin und Komponistin. Ihre Debüt-EP "All Black Everything" hatte eine wichtige neue Stimme in der Londoner Jazzszene angekündigt. Mit ihrem neuen Projekt "BabyGoated" macht Gadiaga einen mutigen Schritt in Richtung Farbe und Selbstbewusstsein. Sie folgt ihrem Instinkt, über den Jazz hinaus zu expandieren und Musik zu machen, die sich weitläufig, grenzenlos und ihren Wurzeln treu anfühlt. "BabyGoated fasst zusammen, wer ich bin", erklärt Gadiaga. "Sowohl verletzlich (Baby) als auch mutig (Goated). Es ist niedlich und liebenswert, aber auch ein bisschen arrogant." Der Titel spiegelt die Dualitäten wider, die das Projekt prägen: zwischen Demut und Stolz, Sanftheit und Stärke, göttlicher Energie und menschlicher Unvollkommenheit. ,Das ganze Projekt ist ein ständiger Kampf zwischen Selbstbewusstsein und Verlorenheit - aber immer voller Anmut." Während "All Black Everything" sich auf erweiterte Jazz-Instrumentierung stützte, tauscht "BabyGoated" diese gegen Direktheit ein. Gadiagas Stimme rückt in den Vordergrund und verleiht ihrem inneren Dialog mit ungeschützter Klarheit Gestalt. "BabyGoated" setzt auf organische Texturen und nutzt warmes Klavier, Trompete und folkige Gitarrenklänge. Zum ersten Mal schreibt sie auch in französischer Umgangssprache. Das ist eine befreiende Wendung, die ihre französische und afrikanische Identität verbindet. "Normalerweise schreibe ich auf Französisch poetisch und extravagant", sagt sie. "Aber dieser Song entstand aus der Absicht, etwas zu schaffen, mit dem sich mein jüngeres Ich identifizieren und das es genießen kann." Die EP ist durchzogen von einer überschwänglichen Stimmung, sowohl in der Musik als auch in den Bildern. In Zusammenarbeit mit einem Kreis enger Mitarbeiter, die sie liebevoll ihre African Baddies nennt, ließ sich Gadiaga von ihrem afrikanischen Erbe inspirieren, um die Welt von "BabyGoated" zu einer farbenfrohen Vision zu formen, die Individualität und panafrikanischen Stolz zelebriert. Letztendlich ist "BabyGoated" eine Geschichte über Selbstvertrauen, Verwandlung und Freude.

Eight years have passed since 8 regards obliques, the album in which Jaumet reinvented his spiritual jazz classics, letting them drift into other dimensions. Since then, an intense tour alongside Thomas de Pourquery and a new recording adventure with Zombie Zombie have taken him on the road. Yet it is in the inspiring calm of his brand-new studio in Bagnolet that he found the material for Du cortex à l’iris, his new album recorded for his label Versatile Records. Du cortex à l’iris continues this delicate balance that defines Jaumet’s signature: a constant tension between hypnotic abstraction and an almost animal groove. "To reduce the distance between my cortex and my senses, in order to compose mental images with sounds," he says. This intention runs through the entire album: a desire to make people dance, yes, but with echoes of EBM, bursts of cinematic landscapes, and that singular way of slowly inducing trance rather than declaring it. Saxophone, synths, analog drum machines: the arsenal remains familiar, but the approach is even more direct. Playing fast, composing in the moment, letting the hand run before the mind corrects. Capturing something primal, spontaneous, almost raw – as if the sound were really passing, this time, directly from the cortex to the iris.

Nach dem großen Erfolg des Comeback-Albums "IDAG" aus dem Jahr 2025 kehrt die legendäre schwedische Heavy-Rock-Band Witchcraft mit einem eindrucksvollen und intimen neuen Kapitel zurück, das den Titel "A Sinner's Child" trägt. Gründer, Sänger und Visionär Magnus Pelander reduziert den Sound auf dieser neuen 5-Track-EP auf seine reine Seele. Zwischen der melodischen Proto-Doom-Tiefe von ,Drömmen Om Död Och Förruttnelse" und ,Själen Reser Sig", über den leuchtenden Folk der Lead-Single ,A Sinner's Child" und deren Fortsetzung ,Sinner's Clear Confusion" bis hin zum gefühlvollen akustischen Klagelied ,Even Darker Days", bewegen sich diese Songs, welche von dem Multi-Instrumentalisten aus einem persönlicheren, unmittelbareren Ansatz heraus gedacht wurden. Die Songs präsentieren Pelanders Songwriting in seiner bewegendsten und verletzlichsten Form - ein direkter Zugang zu den eindringlichen Melodien und der emotionalen Tiefe, die das Vermächtnis von Witchcraft seit über zwei Jahrzehnten prägen. Sie sind Beleg für die zeitlose Kraft einer Stimme, einer Melodie und der Rohstoffe des Rock, destilliert zu ihrer Essenz - ein starker Epilog zu "IDAG". CD sowie LP erhältlich

EP2 Limited 2 x 12" Vinyl & Digital Release The second digital and vinyl EP from Brian Jackson and Masters At Work’s highly anticipated ‘Now More Than Ever’ project is a masterclass in soulful innovation, musical legacy, and collaborative excellence. Carefully curated and expertly packaged for true fans, this release brings together extended versions and rare cuts that were simply too expansive, deep, and powerful to fit on the forthcoming triple LP — but far too important not to be heard. The double pack also includes the title track off the forthcoming album ‘Now More Than Ever’, a brand-new, never-before-heard track birthed organically during the energy and creative momentum of the recording sessions. It stands as a testament to the spontaneous brilliance of Jackson, MAW and their collaborators, capturing a moment of pure musical inspiration. The EP features seven tracks, including reimagined and extended versions of classics such as Kenlou Cult Classic ‘Moonshine’, Jackson and Heron’s ‘Lady Day and John Coltrane’, and ‘Home Is Where the Hatred Is’, plus a deep focus on ‘Racetrack in France’ — first recorded by Brian Jackson and Gil Scott-Heron in 1977 for their landmark Bridges album. Highlights include: The MAW (Masters at Work) Live Mix of ‘Moonshine’, featuring former Midnight Band/Amnesia Express multi-instrumentalist Carl Cornwell on saxophone. A sprawling 12" version of ‘Home Is Where the Hatred Is’ — a jazz-fuelled dancefloor reinterpretation blending political fire with sonic elegance. The 12” version of ‘Lady Day and John Coltrane’, featuring Rahsaan Patterson’s soulful vocal performance set against a lush, cinematic arrangement. A masterful reworking of ‘Racetrack in France’ featuring legends Josh Milan, J. Ivy, and Moodymann, each bringing their distinct voice and flavour to this seminal piece. The instrumental version is also included in this 2 x 12” EP. Whether you're a long-time devotee of Brian Jackson and Gil Scott-Heron’s influential catalogue, a DJ or collector chasing rare wax, or a new listener drawn to future-leaning soul and jazz, Now More Than Ever ‘EP Two’ is an essential release — a bridge between the past, present, and the music still to come.

Collettivo Immaginario is set to unveil their newest single, "Tempo Al Tempo," on November 10th. This musical journey transcends genres, evolving from a jazz-funk odyssey into a disco-house exploration, adorned with delightful hints of Brazilian-inspired melodies and the enchanting ambiance reminiscent of Italian 70's library music. On the B-side, esteemed DJ and producer Patrick Gibin offers his reinterpretation of the original track, ensuring its irresistible allure on dance floors across the globe.

Montecarla is a new Italian duo born from the idea of creating the soundtrack to a film that doesn’t exist. Blending modern disco, Italian library music and playful cinematic flair, they turn the sensual and ironic mood of 70s/80s erotic soundtracks into something fresh and contemporary.

Their debut album, “Primo Appuntamento,” introduces the Montecarla universe: a fictional Mediterranean city where elegance, desire and mischief shape the music’s identity. Real instrumentation, theatrical details and a refined groove transform each piece into a miniature scene familiar, yet entirely reinvented.

Montecarla position themselves at the crossroads of nostalgia and innovation, offering a stylish, compact sound ideal for playlists exploring Italian groovers, nu-disco, lounge atmospheres and retro-future aesthetics.

“Primo Appuntamento” is both an introduction and an invitation seductive, cinematic, unmistakably Italian.

JAMIIE & Ape Drums reunite for captivating collaboration ‘4ME’ on Crosstown Rebels.

Out on 27th February 2026, the Berlin-based DJ/producer and Miami-based Major Lazer member make their first appearance on Damian Lazarus’ label, featuring a bold reinterpretation from Whitesquare.
Following their widely championed 2025 collaboration ‘111’, a standout of the summer season, JAMIIE and Ape Drums reconnect for ‘4ME’, a track born from long-distance sessions and a unique creative flow. Crafted via a partnership that thrives on spontaneity, with ideas bouncing seamlessly between Berlin and Miami, the result is a production that feels alive, organic, and meticulously detailed as they both make their debut appearance on Damian Lazarus’ renowned Crosstown Rebels imprint.

The original ‘4ME’ moves at its own pace, layering resonant synth textures, alluring vocal phrases, and subtle melodic chords to create a hypnotic pull. Moments of intimacy give way to rolling, percussive grooves, pulling the listener into a slow-burning, immersive journey.

On the flip, Italian DJ/producer and returning Crosstown Rebels talent Whitesquare sharpens the track, injecting jittering percussion, bubbling organ stabs, and a taut, club-ready pulse that transform the hypnotic original into a late-hours weapon without losing its emotional core. A continuation of their creative dialogue, ‘4ME’ showcases JAMIIE and Ape Drums’ ability to fuse emotive depth with kinetic energy, offering a release that captivates from the first listen to the final drop.

...a re-rendering of Andy Vaz's 2013 deep house classic

DRIVETRAIN - Mix From Detroit
vocal sampling on an enthrallingly seductive rhythm bounce

CLOUDMASTERWEED - Def Mix
ghostly minimalism of deep soul with tribal overtones

JAVONNETTE - Mars Mix
accelerated pads punching through acid reinforcement

ANDY VAZ - Original Mix
the multi-inflected prototype groove for the bewitching after hours

DJ Mitsu the Beats, a globally active member of the Sendai-based hip-hop crew GAGLE, teams up with R&B singer reina from the creative collective and label w.a.u for
the new track "Gtg" now released as a 7-inch single.
The song is a bittersweet and ephemeral love track that expresses straightforward emotions and feelings, as if wandering toward the endlessly stretching sea.
The laid-back, jazzy beats and piano by DJ Mitsu the Beats, reina’s smooth and comforting vocals, and Kzyboost’s emotional talk box blend together into a mellow groove,
creating an alternative R&B sound that evokes the chill of the ocean.
The jacket artwork is a collaborative design featuring ocean photography by Yasuma Miura, a photographer based in Shonan and Kamakura who travels the world while surfing,
and design by So Iguchi (soiguchi design), a designer known for his work on outdoor brand catalogs and lookbooks.

ULI SAILOR -> File under: Punkrock am KlavierNach über 30 Jahren auf Bühnen zwischen Punkkeller und Festivalhauptbühne bringt Uli Sailor nun sein erstes Piano Solo-Album heraus. ,Besser Anders" ist das Ergebnis von zwei Jahren intensiver Arbeit - zehn Songs voller Energie, Melancholie und Haltung. Produziert wurde das Album halb in Berlin von Thies Neu, halb in Köln von Tobias Röger (Wohlstandskinder, Udo Lindenberg, Slime).Musikalisch schlägt Uli eine Brücke zwischen Indie-Rock und Punk, bleibt dabei aber weit entfernt von weichgespültem Pop. Klavier, Cello und Gesang treffen auf kantige Arrangements und Texte, die irgendwo zwischen Tagtraum und Knochenfabrik liegen - poetisch, wütend, reflektiert. Themen wie Gentrifizierung, digitale Entfremdung und die unerschütterliche Liebe zum Punk ziehen sich durchs ganze Werk.,Besser Anders" ist ein Album gegen die Austauschbarkeit. Kein KI-Produkt, keine Routine - sondern Handarbeit, Schweiß und Herzblut. Uli zeigt, dass Punkrock auch mit Klaviertasten funktionieren kann, solange man das richtige Maß an Wut, Humor und Zärtlichkeit mitbringt.Patrick Reerink (GUTS PIE EARSHOT) sorgt auf dem Album für die Cello-Parts. ,Kiezblock" entsteht gemeinsam mit Chris Kotze (KOTZREIZ), unterstützt von Totze Trippi (BEATSTEAKS) am Bass und einem Chor von Freund*innen - unter anderem Dead End Kids, Berlin Blackouts, Von.Orten und Töff Malstroem. In ,Der demagogische Wandel" greift Guido Donot (DONOTS) zur Gitarre und setzt ein Solo, das hängen bleibt. Das macht ,Besser Anders" zu mehr als einem einsamen Solo-Projekt, sondern ein kollektives Statement mit Haltung.Mittel-Version (2600 Zeichen)Sommer 2025: In einem Berliner Proberaum sitzt ein Mensch und macht das, was er am liebsten tut - Musik. Dieser Mensch heißt Uli Breitbach, besser bekannt als Uli Sailor. Seit über 30 Jahren ist er kreativer Arbeiter, mal euphorisch, mal verzweifelt, und nach zwei Jahren intensiver Arbeit erscheint nun sein erstes Solo-Album: ,Besser Anders".Was wie eine klassische Musikerbiografie klingt, steht im Kontrast zur Gegenwart. Während Künstliche Intelligenz längst komplette Bands ersetzt, bleibt Uli Sailors Musik das Gegenteil davon: handgemacht, ehrlich, mit hörbarem Herzblut. Uli geht auf die 50 zu und bringt sein Debüt erst jetzt heraus - nach Jahrzehnten als Teil verschiedenster Bands wie den Skatepunks D-SAILORS, den Indierockern TUSQ und der legendären Deutschpunkband TERRORGRUPPE.Nach deren Ende wagte Uli ein ungewöhnliches Experiment: Punksongs seiner Jugend auf dem Klavier - unterstützt von Cello. Was zunächst abwegig klang, traf einen Nerv. Seine Konzerte führten ihn in kleine Clubs ebenso wie auf große Bühnen - vom Sisyphos über Rock am Ring bis zur Volksbühne. Egal ob Punkkneipe oder Festival: Uli Sailor funktioniert überall.2024 folgte die EP ,Für immer jung", fünf eigene Songs zwischen Wut und Sentimentalität, die von Kritikern durchweg gelobt wurden. Jetzt also das Album. ,Besser Anders", das am 27. Februar 2026 erscheint - zehn Songs, produziert zur Hälfte von Thies Neu (SHIRLEY HOLMES, DYSE, DEAD END KIDS) in Berlin und von Tobias Röger (WOHLSTANDSKINDER, SLIME, UDO LINDENBERG) in Köln.Musikalisch wagt Uli den Schritt vom Piano-Punkrock hin zu einem Mix aus Indie und Punk, ohne dabei seine Haltung zu verlieren. ,Sellout?", mögen manche rufen. ,Hört doch erst einmal rein", wäre die passende Antwort. Denn ,Besser Anders" ist weit entfernt von weichgespültem Befindlichkeits-Pop. Die Texte bewegen sich zwischen Tagtraum und Knochenfabrik, kraftvoll, poetisch und differenziert. Uli Sailor benennt Missstände, bleibt aber empathisch, reflektiert und wirkt nie platt. Es ist ein vielseitiges, eigenständiges Album mit Songs über Gentrifizierung, digitale Abhängigkeit, verblühende Liebe und die unerschütterliche Kraft des Punk.Patrick Reerink von GUTS PIE EARSHOT steuerte die Cello-Parts bei. Mit Chris Kotze (KOTZREIZ) entstand eine gemeinsam geschriebene Anti-Gentrifizierungshymne, unterstützt von Totze Trippi (BEATSTEAKS) am Bass und einem Backgroundchor, der sich gewaschen hat: Mitglieder von Berlin Blackouts, Dead End Kids, Von.Orten und Töff Malstroem. Bei ,Der demagogische Wandel" wiederum griff Guido Donot (DONOTS) zur Gitarre und setzte ein Solo, das man so schnell nicht vergisst. ,Besser Anders" ist damit weit mehr als ein Solo-Album - es ist ein Gemeinschaftswerk mit Haltung.Vielleicht wird Uli Sailor keine Millionen Klicks erzielen. Aber das ist gut so. Dieses Album ist kein Algorithmusprodukt, sondern das Ergebnis ehrlicher Handarbeit, Leidenschaft und einer großen Liebe zur Musik. Punkrock bleibt hier der rote Faden - anders, besser, echt.

ULI SAILOR -> File under: Punkrock am KlavierNach über 30 Jahren auf Bühnen zwischen Punkkeller und Festivalhauptbühne bringt Uli Sailor nun sein erstes Piano Solo-Album heraus. ,Besser Anders" ist das Ergebnis von zwei Jahren intensiver Arbeit - zehn Songs voller Energie, Melancholie und Haltung. Produziert wurde das Album halb in Berlin von Thies Neu, halb in Köln von Tobias Röger (Wohlstandskinder, Udo Lindenberg, Slime).Musikalisch schlägt Uli eine Brücke zwischen Indie-Rock und Punk, bleibt dabei aber weit entfernt von weichgespültem Pop. Klavier, Cello und Gesang treffen auf kantige Arrangements und Texte, die irgendwo zwischen Tagtraum und Knochenfabrik liegen - poetisch, wütend, reflektiert. Themen wie Gentrifizierung, digitale Entfremdung und die unerschütterliche Liebe zum Punk ziehen sich durchs ganze Werk.,Besser Anders" ist ein Album gegen die Austauschbarkeit. Kein KI-Produkt, keine Routine - sondern Handarbeit, Schweiß und Herzblut. Uli zeigt, dass Punkrock auch mit Klaviertasten funktionieren kann, solange man das richtige Maß an Wut, Humor und Zärtlichkeit mitbringt.Patrick Reerink (GUTS PIE EARSHOT) sorgt auf dem Album für die Cello-Parts. ,Kiezblock" entsteht gemeinsam mit Chris Kotze (KOTZREIZ), unterstützt von Totze Trippi (BEATSTEAKS) am Bass und einem Chor von Freund*innen - unter anderem Dead End Kids, Berlin Blackouts, Von.Orten und Töff Malstroem. In ,Der demagogische Wandel" greift Guido Donot (DONOTS) zur Gitarre und setzt ein Solo, das hängen bleibt. Das macht ,Besser Anders" zu mehr als einem einsamen Solo-Projekt, sondern ein kollektives Statement mit Haltung.Mittel-Version (2600 Zeichen)Sommer 2025: In einem Berliner Proberaum sitzt ein Mensch und macht das, was er am liebsten tut - Musik. Dieser Mensch heißt Uli Breitbach, besser bekannt als Uli Sailor. Seit über 30 Jahren ist er kreativer Arbeiter, mal euphorisch, mal verzweifelt, und nach zwei Jahren intensiver Arbeit erscheint nun sein erstes Solo-Album: ,Besser Anders".Was wie eine klassische Musikerbiografie klingt, steht im Kontrast zur Gegenwart. Während Künstliche Intelligenz längst komplette Bands ersetzt, bleibt Uli Sailors Musik das Gegenteil davon: handgemacht, ehrlich, mit hörbarem Herzblut. Uli geht auf die 50 zu und bringt sein Debüt erst jetzt heraus - nach Jahrzehnten als Teil verschiedenster Bands wie den Skatepunks D-SAILORS, den Indierockern TUSQ und der legendären Deutschpunkband TERRORGRUPPE.Nach deren Ende wagte Uli ein ungewöhnliches Experiment: Punksongs seiner Jugend auf dem Klavier - unterstützt von Cello. Was zunächst abwegig klang, traf einen Nerv. Seine Konzerte führten ihn in kleine Clubs ebenso wie auf große Bühnen - vom Sisyphos über Rock am Ring bis zur Volksbühne. Egal ob Punkkneipe oder Festival: Uli Sailor funktioniert überall.2024 folgte die EP ,Für immer jung", fünf eigene Songs zwischen Wut und Sentimentalität, die von Kritikern durchweg gelobt wurden. Jetzt also das Album. ,Besser Anders", das am 27. Februar 2026 erscheint - zehn Songs, produziert zur Hälfte von Thies Neu (SHIRLEY HOLMES, DYSE, DEAD END KIDS) in Berlin und von Tobias Röger (WOHLSTANDSKINDER, SLIME, UDO LINDENBERG) in Köln.Musikalisch wagt Uli den Schritt vom Piano-Punkrock hin zu einem Mix aus Indie und Punk, ohne dabei seine Haltung zu verlieren. ,Sellout?", mögen manche rufen. ,Hört doch erst einmal rein", wäre die passende Antwort. Denn ,Besser Anders" ist weit entfernt von weichgespültem Befindlichkeits-Pop. Die Texte bewegen sich zwischen Tagtraum und Knochenfabrik, kraftvoll, poetisch und differenziert. Uli Sailor benennt Missstände, bleibt aber empathisch, reflektiert und wirkt nie platt. Es ist ein vielseitiges, eigenständiges Album mit Songs über Gentrifizierung, digitale Abhängigkeit, verblühende Liebe und die unerschütterliche Kraft des Punk.Patrick Reerink von GUTS PIE EARSHOT steuerte die Cello-Parts bei. Mit Chris Kotze (KOTZREIZ) entstand eine gemeinsam geschriebene Anti-Gentrifizierungshymne, unterstützt von Totze Trippi (BEATSTEAKS) am Bass und einem Backgroundchor, der sich gewaschen hat: Mitglieder von Berlin Blackouts, Dead End Kids, Von.Orten und Töff Malstroem. Bei ,Der demagogische Wandel" wiederum griff Guido Donot (DONOTS) zur Gitarre und setzte ein Solo, das man so schnell nicht vergisst. ,Besser Anders" ist damit weit mehr als ein Solo-Album - es ist ein Gemeinschaftswerk mit Haltung.Vielleicht wird Uli Sailor keine Millionen Klicks erzielen. Aber das ist gut so. Dieses Album ist kein Algorithmusprodukt, sondern das Ergebnis ehrlicher Handarbeit, Leidenschaft und einer großen Liebe zur Musik. Punkrock bleibt hier der rote Faden - anders, besser, echt.

2026 Repress

MOLA - fierce gutter pop, bittersweet ballads and roaring indie anthems oscillating between heartbreak, chaos and radical connection. On Liebe Brutal (out 26.09.2025), raw emotion meets sharp irony, Italo-drama meets pogo energy. Isabella Streifeneder and producer Markus Harbauer deliver their most direct, dynamic and vulnerable record to date - brutally honest, brutally beautiful.

Mute welcomes German synthesizer and producer duo Felsmann + Tiley to the roster with the release of their new album Protomensch. Out February 13, 2026 on limited edition black vinyl packaged in a special gatefold sleeve featuring a mirror foil lamination on the inner panel revealing a ‘self-portrait of the protomensch.’

On Protomensch (German for “proto-human”), Felsmann + Tiley blend shimmering synthwave, pounding trance, and introspective IDM with synth-pop-infused tracks featuring guest vocalists including London’s Pet Deaths and Australian artists The Kite String Tangle, Woodes, and Laius.

This juxtaposition between sentient beings and machines permeates the whole album – right from the duo’s manifesto introducing us the highly intelligent yet irrevocably shortsighted and downright tragic character of Protomensch – the cover artwork featuring turtleneck wearing chimpanzee, futuristic music videos, and stark social media aesthetics to seated, next-level live-shows involving collaboration with dozens of visual artists.

Despite their online ubiquity, sparked in part by their viral reinterpretation of label-mate M83’s “Solitude,” which has been used over 1 million times on TikTok and high-profile syncs on shows including Young Royals (season two), the BAFTA-winning crime thriller Top Boy (season three), and Amazon’s The Better Sister, Felsmann + Tiley have lingered largely on the periphery, their origins cloaked in quiet anonymity, until now. With the release of Protomensch, Felsmann + Tiley present their fully realized artistic vision and step into the spotlight.

Pioen is the second album by Elisabeth Klinck & Nils Vermeulen, released on blickwinkel. It was recorded in a small chapel of a monastery in the city center of Ghent. A chapel by nature is a place of contemplation and meditation, which automatically had influence on the music. Movements slow down, attention is sharpened and the overwhelming silence of the space becomes part of the music. Sound and silence are meticulously woven into each other. Even when the music grows at times dense and heavy, there is an ever-present sense of closeness and intimacy. This is reinforced by the use of the voice, which naturally appears throughout the album, not as a separate layer but as an extension of the instruments.

The pieces – this time more curated than on their previous album Pair, Paire – arose from hours-long improvisations where sound became space and space became sound. Bringing together violin, double bass and voice, Pioen unfolds as a serene and honest journey, inviting the listener into a state of contemplation.

Elisabeth Klinck is a contemporary violinist, composer and performer based in Brussels, known or her timeless, deep-listening sound worlds. Her album Picture a Frame (2023) and Chronotopia - selected by The Quietus as one of the best albums of 2025 - were released on the Swiss label Hallow Ground. A big part of her work revolves around tactility, fragility, and a very physical approaches to sound.

Nils Vermeulen is a Belgian double bass player active in all varieties of adventurous music. He has played with Paul Lytton, Martin Küchen, Seppe Gebruers, William Parker, John Dikeman, Luis Vicente, among others. He works across many scenes, from free improv to jazz to contemporary classical music, and in many distinct constellations, such as his own groups Kabas and Jukwaa, a Norwegian free jazz trio with Tollef Østvang and Heidi Kvelvane, a string duo with Elisabeth Klinck, and as the double bassplayer of Nemo ensemble. In 2023, he released his debut solo album on Aspen Edities.

Peru's soul classic “CARINITO” covered by Japanese cumbia band REAL THING! Plus, a jungle version is also included!
This cumbia, blending passion and sweetness, is a true killer tune beloved not only by bands across South America but worldwide, reinterpreted
countless times in different styles.

Dass es jede Menge deutsche Thrash-Legenden gibt ist ja nun kein Geheimnis ... Aber statt sich immer nur die alten Standards reinzutun, sollte man sich lieber mal mit einer Underground-Perle beschäftigen, die der eine oder andere von euch kennen sollte: Necronomicon! Noch nie gehört? Tja... Das Leben als Thrasher hätte so schön sein können, wenn...ja, wenn Necronomicon Mitte der 80er nicht so ein Pech mit ihrem Label Scratchcore gehabt hätten... „Apocalyptic Nightmare“ von 1987 wurde hierzulande erstmal großflächig und schändlich ignoriert. In den Staaten, in Südamerika und in allen Skandinavischen Ländern wurde das zweite Album der Baden-Württemberger dagegen mächtig abgefeiert – und dass man in diesen Ländern was von guter Musik versteht, ist ja wohl klar. Sänger Freddy braucht den Vergleich mit Destructions Schmier nicht zu scheuen, und der Gitarrensound auf „Apocalyptic Nightmare“ ist schon des Öfteren mit den frühen Celtic Frost verglichen worden. Während ein kleines, obskures Label Necronomicon damals den Start versaut hat, werden High Roller Records es besser machen – und zwar mit der Deluxe-Re-Edition von „Apocalyptic Nightmare“! Mit dem Signing bei High Roller geht für die Band endlich eine echte Odyssee zu Ende!

"Nearly two decades after their 2007 debut and a 2010–2022 hiatus, Austin, TX’s Voxtrot return with Dreamers in Exile, a new LP that turns an underdog story into a true second act.

The band who quietly became cult heroes in the streaming era deliver a record that carries the electric rush longtime fans remember while speaking directly to the new era of youth who discovered them through playlists and word of mouth.

Musically, Dreamers in Exile folds Voxtrot’s classic DNA—C86 sparkle, Sarah Records romanticism, the pulse of The Velvet Underground, the elegance of Felt—into a sharper, more confident sound.

Guitars chime and sprint, rhythms push forward, and Ramesh Srivastava’s literate, heart-forward lyrics trace the distance between youth and maturity, exile and home, regret and renewal. Mixed by Dean Reid (Lana Del Rey, James Blake), it reads as both reintroduction and redemption.

For a band born of the 2000s blog wave alongside Vampire Weekend, The National, and Grizzly Bear, Dreamers in Exile is less nostalgia than proof of life. It’s the sound of a beloved group returning on their own terms and finding their songs resonating more widely than ever."

Originally released in 1988 on the compilation Acid Tracks Vol. 3 via Needle Records, "The Other Side" has long been recognised as a potent example of early Chicago acid house. Now, more than three decades later, the track receives its first official 12" release - and, crucially, its first release with the original artists correctly credited. While historically attributed to Maurice Joshua, "The Other Side" was in fact produced by Da Posse (Hula Mahone), with vocals by Martell. This forthcoming release marks the first time that the original production has been properly acknowledged and presented in its intended standalone 12" format, restoring authorship to the artists responsible for the record's creation. The release is issued by Island Life Records, a Bali-based label with a growing reputation for carefully curated projects that bridge foundational dance music history and contemporary club culture. By formally reintroducing "The Other Side" with accurate credits, Island Life Records contributes an important corrective to the historical record of Chicago house and acid house music. Musically, "The Other Side" remains a striking artefact of its era: minimal, hypnotic, and emotionally charged, balancing raw machine-driven groove with an atmospheric vocal presence. It exemplifies the experimental, DJ-led ethos of late-1980s Chicago, where tracks were built for function, feeling, and longevity on the dancefloor rather than commercial visibility. The release is accompanied by a set of new remixes that respectfully extend the track's legacy into the present day. Remix duties come from Island Life Records founder Garry Todd under his Clouds Of Kouros alias, Johnny Aux (one half of Paranoid London), and Age Of Hyperion, with the digital including a remix from Garry Todd, each offering a distinct contemporary interpretation while retaining the spirit and tension of the original recording. This release stands not only as a long-overdue physical edition, but as a historically significant moment: the first time the original production has been released on 12", and the first time the correct creative contributors have been formally recognised.

Alex Rex, the project of acclaimed musician and former Trembling Bells bandleader Alex Neilson, is set to release his fourth and final studio album, The National Trust, on March 28th. Written in the wake of the sudden death of his younger brother, Alastair, the album is a poignant reflection on loss, love, and renewal, deeply rooted in the landscape of Carbeth—a cabin community in the Scottish countryside that Alastair called home. For Neilson, the cabin became both a physical and emotional project, a symbol of restoration and reconnection.

"For the first four years after Alastair died, his cabin lay empty and exposed to the remorseless Scottish weather. It came to look like a rotten tooth in a beautiful mouth. Cladding was dropping off its veneer, the ashen baubles of dead wasps nests clung to the rafters, all his possessions were just as he'd left them but eaten by mice, moths and time. Ashtrays still carried the crushed centimetres of his old tab ends. The cabins are so joyfully animated by their host's specific personality and this one looked like a haunted house. Guilt, unrealised hopes and encroaching nature yoked together in a wandering sadness. Combined with the fact that I didn't know the right way round to hold a hammer made the project of its restoration seem hopeless.”

Neilson, however, gradually began chipping away at the task, determined to transform the cabin into something he hoped would resemble “a National Trust site occupied by a psychopath,” with a little help from some friends, including Lavinia Blackwall and Marco Rea.

“They poured love into the cabin and helped restore Alastair's original vision. The project also helped restore my relationship with Lavinia which had fractured after Trembling Bells broke up in 2017. Alongside long-term Rex lieutenant Rory Haye, we applied the same intensity of dedication that we did in renovating the cabin, into creating The National Trust.”

As with Neilson’s previous albums, the recording process was intentionally unpolished, with songs presented in the studio with no rehearsals and captured in just a few takes. This raw, immediate approach amplifies the emotional weight of the album, which Neilson describes as being at a “personal apex of sour self-reflection, mock misanthropy, and self-exposure.” Longtime collaborators Lavinia Blackwall, Marco Rea, and Rory Haye return, alongside guest musicians like Jill O’Sullivan (Jill Lorean) and Trembling Bells guitarist Mike Hastings, to bring Neilson’s vision to life. The result is a deeply personal and multifaceted work, blending acid wit with haunting introspection.

The songs on The National Trust traverse a wide emotional and thematic range. The title track opens the album with a sharp and confessional edge, exploring love, loathing, and cultural critique with Neilson’s signature wit. “Boss Morris” pays tribute to the all-female Morris dancing troupe that reinvents British folk with vibrant energy, while “Two Kinds of Song” turns self-referential humour into an avalanche of remorse, culminating in the unforgettable chorus: “I’ve got two kinds of song. Which one will it be; one where I hate myself or one where you hate me?” Elsewhere, tracks like “Psychic Rome” draw from the decadence and hysteria of ancient Rome, while “The Coward in the Tower” breaks new ground as the only song Neilson has composed on an instrument before recording.

Throughout the album, Neilson’s lyricism is as vivid as ever, transforming personal tragedy into poignant and often darkly humorous art. Yet, there is a sense of finality to this work. "Songwriting has encouraged me to see the whole world as a resource. The things people say and throw away can be chiselled and polished and plopped into a lyric. It’s the same with building the cabin- scouring the edges of society for pallets, discarded wood, ornaments for the garden. But while song writing brings to life orphaned parts of my personality, the cabin is a synthesis of all my interests – nurturing my emotional health instead of exploiting it. With that in mind, I think this will be my last album as Alex Rex.”

With The National Trust, Neilson closes a significant chapter of his career, blending masterful musicianship with deeply personal storytelling. Known for his collaborations with artists such as Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Shirley Collins, and Current 93, as well as his decade-long tenure leading the psych-folk outfit Trembling Bells, Neilson has long been celebrated for his eclectic and uncompromising vision. This final album serves as a fitting culmination of his journey as Alex Rex, capturing the essence of his artistry while offering a profound exploration of loss, renewal, and the enduring power of love.

Ivy Chalice release their highly anticipated follow up to last years ‘Nachtmahr’, with Noctifer, on Library of the Occult Records. Drawing inspiration from classic cinema and the evocative sounds of the 1960s and 70s, Noctifer blends acoustic textures and ethereal vocals with a shadowy electronic edge, crafting a musical experience that is as haunting as it is hypnotic.

Noctifer ("bringer of night") is an album of shadowed landscapes and eerie tales. Ivy Chalice conjures a soundscape where dark folklore, dreamlike acoustics, and modern electronic elements meet. The album's narrative threads echo the haunting charm of films like The Blood on Satan’s Claw and The Wicker Man, as well as the spectral allure of British folk revival acts.

Maria Perez Query of Hellebore writes:

"The dense, dreamy atmosphere conjured by Ivy Chalice reaches its zenith in “Der Wald, Die Spiegelwelt,” which has echoes of the classic folk horror series Moondial (1988). Ethereal and eerie, Noctifer feels like wandering into the woods to find a ruined chapel, like opening a gate that leads to a secret realm."

Featuring tracks that balance fragility and foreboding, Noctifer is both an homage to and a reinvention of folk horror soundscapes. The combination of acoustic instrumentation and shadowy electronic textures offers a contemporary twist on timeless themes of nature, ritual, and the unknown.

Leigh-Anne Pinnock is ready to reintroduce herself. After conquering the pop world with one of the biggest groups on the planet and stepping out as a solo artist, she has reached a new clarity: no more compromises, no more limits.

With the introduction of her debut album ‘My Ego Told Me To’, Leigh-Anne isn’t reinventing herself, she’s restoring the woman she always was. Bold, unapologetic and free, this album is the purest expression of her artistry to date and musically reflects every facet of Leigh-Anne Pinnock - unfiltered, independent and finally on her own terms. “Everything that has been in my heart, everything I’ve wanted to do, I’m doing now. It feels like freedom. It feels right.”

Leigh-Anne Pinnock is ready to reintroduce herself. After conquering the pop world with one of the biggest groups on the planet and stepping out as a solo artist, she has reached a new clarity: no more compromises, no more limits.

With the introduction of her debut album ‘My Ego Told Me To’, Leigh-Anne isn’t reinventing herself, she’s restoring the woman she always was. Bold, unapologetic and free, this album is the purest expression of her artistry to date and musically reflects every facet of Leigh-Anne Pinnock - unfiltered, independent and finally on her own terms. “Everything that has been in my heart, everything I’ve wanted to do, I’m doing now. It feels like freedom. It feels right.”

DJ Support: David Morales, Dimitri From Paris, Tedd Patterson, Dj Spen, Terry Hunter, Hector Romero, Dr Packer, Da Lukas, Sebb Junior, Jo Paciello, Shabi and many others.

The friendship between Sarah Jane Morris and Mario Biondi is the basis of this collaboration, born from the desire to pay homage to Roberta Flack. The idea, proposed by Sarah Jane, to reinterpret "Back Together Again" was born a few months before the death of the famous American singer. The original song, published in 1980 on the album "Roberta Flack Featuring Donny Hathaway", included the posthumous participation of Donny Hathaway, who died in 1979. Mario Biondi enthusiastically welcomed the proposal, and considering that the original song had a strong dance component, entrusted the production to Micky More & Andy Tee, one of the most important Soulful Disco House production teams on the contemporary world scene. The duo of DJs and producers from Ancona Italy have been at the top of the charts of digital dance stores for years. The package includes a fantastic DUB version of Jazz-N-Groove, Courtesy Of Brian Tappert & Marc Pomery, The legendary American Dance producers Duo. A MUST HAVE.

Duality Trax welcomes the newly formed 9 Hours Ahead to the label with their debut release, complete with a remix from progressive royalty Bliss Inc. Landing in early 2026, Smooth Sailing traces a blissed-out sonic journey from the combined minds of San Francisco’s Namastrange and Amsterdam’s Breeze. Their cross-continental connection threads throughout the EP, with subtle nods to the vast ocean that separates them. The title track opens the release with a gentle drift: airy synths, angelic pads, and tribal percussion guiding listeners steadily out to sea. Meridian Space picks up the momentum, driven by a pulsating, everexpanding bassline. Namastrange’s whispered vocals weave between swelling orchestral pads, before the track mutates into a mind-bending acid line - perfect for a heads-down, eyes-closed dancefloor moment.

The B-side turns up theenergy with Transatlantic Dreams, a dancefloor-minded cut that nods to the golden era of San Francisco progressive and the Hardkiss legacy. Lush piano melodies, breakbeat interludes, rave stabs, and glimmering gated vocals collide in a warm, nostalgic swirl. Closing the EP, Bliss Inc. delivers a psy-tinged reinterpretation of Meridian Space - a dark, brooding acid workout that pulls the original into deeper, murkier waters.

A milestone in electronic music, is finally receiving its well-deserved re-release: Liaisons Dangereuses' legendary self-titled debut album still fascinates today, through its innovative sound and the mystery encompassing it. Since its release in 1981, it has become a classic in electronic music. The 10 electrifying songs produced by Chrislo Haas (DAF) and Beate Bartel (Mania D. / Matador) - reinforced by Krishna Goineau's French and Spanish Speech-Attack-Lyrics - created a unique style. The album - anything other than a Berlin or Düsseldorf 'thing' - was propelled to an international favourite. Songs such as 'Peut Être... Pas' and 'Los Niños Del Parque' played a decisive role in the development of Detroit and Chicago's house sound, as well as various forms of European techno

Water can retain or wash away memory; flowing or freezing. It gives life and shapes earth, while frozen imprints of an ancient past are waiting to melt – back into sound or fluid motion, or simply to dissipate and disappear. For their split release, Yoichi Kamimura and Olli Aarni offer two distinct reinterpretations of a performance recorded live at the Temppeliaukio Kirkko – a church in Helsinki built directly into solid rock and bathed in natural light – meditating on glacial landscapes and water cycles, using shared field recordings that bifurcate into two sonic visions of “ice journey”.

Yoichi Kamimura’s extensive recordings formed the bedrock of the original performance, notably from time spent on Suomenlinna Island just outside Helsinki in 2021, aiming to capture the remnants of the glacial movements that formed the area’s geology. Elsewhere, the voices of ringed seals, underground waterways of Kyoto, and icy rivers in Lapland from Kamimura’s library float in as well. “The small, charming, and gentle islands floating in the Baltic Sea—some with little cottages and restaurants—reminded me of the drifting ice in the Sea of Okhotsk between Japan and Russia,” describes Kamimura. Fragments of a Christmas choir creep in too, recorded at the church on Suomenlinna Island. Titled Kōri no ryokō , Kaimimura’s reinterpretation of the performance emphasises a shared future across all icy sea regions of the world: thawing ancient memories and the threat of disappearing entirely.

On Jäämatkailu, Olli Aarni presents his own expansive reworking of the same source material, heavily processed alongside his own field recordings from Vantaanjoki river and Suontee lake in Finland. “I was thinking about the processes of erosion, water carving rock, the prehistoric glaciers over the landscape in my own environment,” explains Aarni. The soundscape hums with both intimate details and macrocosmic flow, and a submersible bass rumble hinting at an iceberg far below the tip, morphing at time scales beyond human comprehension.

Side A is composed by Yoichi Kamimura using field recordings of drift ice (Shiretoko, Hokkaido, 2019–2022), the Lake Biwa Canal (Kyoto, 2020), the Therme Vals baths (Vals, 2017), spring water (a fountain next to Saint Benedict Chapel, 2017), a Christmas choir (Suomenlinna Church, Helsinki, 2021), ice in the Juutuanjoki River (Inari, 2021), and recordings from Yoichi’s and Olli’s concert (Temppeliaukion kirkko, Helsinki, 2021), KORG iPolysix, and KORG minilogue xd.

Side B is composed by Olli Aarni using the aforementioned sounds + field recordings of the river Vantaanjoki and the lake Suontee, sampled sounds, and a computer.

In 1999, on December 23 to be precise, the electronic music landscape changed forever. On that day, the now legendary Icelandic band múm released their debut album “Yesterday Was Dramatic – Today Is OK”. The thing is though, back in the day, hardly anybody realized. It was Christmas after all, people were busy with potentially more important things and didn’t pay attention to some kids selling records on Reykjavík’s high street. Little did those shoppers know.

Thankfully, those 10 tracks weren’t overlooked for long. On the contrary: the album went on to become one of the most influential building blocks of what back then was called electronica and today is considered an art form playing a crucial and important role in shaping and defining the rich electronic music culture of the 21st century. Now, 20 years after the record dropped onto planet Earth, Morr Music is re-issuing the remastered album with its original artwork, adding newly commissioned re-works: A note-for-note representation of “Smell Memory“ by Kronos Quartet (with additional drums by múm’s Samuli Kosminen), a gentle reinterpretation of “Random Summer” by acclaimed pianist and composer Hauschka and an otherworldly new version of “Ballad Of The Broken String” recorded by label mate Sóley. Additionally, four remixes produced in the early 2000s are made available for the first time ever on vinyl here.

In 1999, electronic music was in full bloom. The dance floors were thriving worldwide.Yet the concept of using electronic sounds in acoustic-based productions (or vice versa) was still in its infancy. Many producers were trying, most of them failed. The results felt often forced, fabricated, unimaginative, random and forgettable. New ideas require new mindsets after all. With “Yesterday Was Dramatic – Today Is OK”, múm established a new approach in music production. Instead of setting a fixed agenda and working with a distinct hierarchy for their sonic palette, Gyða Valtýsdóttir, Kristín Anna Valtýsdóttir, Gunnar Örn Tynes and Örvar Smárason let each instrument and sound source be true to itself, creating an ever-evolving universe of sonic bliss. Listening to the album in 2019 still makes every music lover’s heart jump. Combining Drill-and-Bass-inspired beat-chopping, future-informed DSP-programming, ethereal vocal work, indie rock’s boominess, folk music’s soulful brittleness and a lofty feeling for melody and arrangement, the album is a rare example of musical transcendence and remains impossible to categorize.

Many of the ideas formulated and recorded for the album quickly became an integral part of the canonical self-conception musicians around the world were and still are aspiring to. How these ideas really came about, though, is not known – the dynamics, the struggles, the qualms, the sudden realization of having achieved something which might actually stick. Maybe that is a good thing. Örvar Smárason remembers that most of the album “was recorded in a tiny, sweaty room in the summer of 1999 with carpenters banging nails around us, but sometimes we put on headphones so we couldn’t hear them.” It is a good thing they did. As is often the case with classics, all one can do is listen closely and let the magic sink in – again and again.

Introducing Self Portrait, the latest chapter from the endlessly inventive one-man force Ryan Adams — a brand‐new, 24-track album that brings together fresh, unheard originals alongside spellbinding reinterpretations of classics by R.E.M., New Order and more.Capturing restless creativity and emotional depth across the two dozen songs, this bold collection once again proves why Ryan Adams is one of the most distinctive voices in modern music. Self Portrait shows Adams at his finest – poignant, unpredictable and sonically rich. For long-time fans, it’s another essential chapter in a prolific career, for newcomers, it is the perfect entry point into the world of Ryan Adams. This project isn’t just another album from Ryan Adams—it’s a dual‐mission: hear where he’s been, and where he’s going.

Above The Clouds I Finally Found Peace, the latest work from French artist Quelza (Leo Naït Aïssa) on Ostgut Ton, feels like a homecoming.

A testament to introspection and self-awareness.
Rather than adhering strictly to a club-focused approach, the EP marks a step forward in freedom of expression, breaking away from a purely club-based format and instead leading into a broader listening territory. It unfolds as a personal musical journal shaped by perception, memory, and emotion.

As its title suggests, the record carries a spiritual undercurrent. It stands as a sincere sonic statement from a young artist, driven by a clear intention: to express vulnerability and honesty through sound.

The EP invites the listener to let go of expectations formed by previous releases, while preserving the emotional intensity and distinctive sonic identity that have come to define this work in recent years.

„Above The Clouds I Finally Found Peace“, das neueste Werk des französischen Künstlers Quelza (Leo Naït Aïssa) auf Ostgut Ton, fühlt sich wie eine Heimkehr an.

Ein Zeugnis der Selbstreflexion und Selbstwahrnehmung. Anstatt sich strikt an einen cluborientierten Ansatz zu halten, markiert die EP einen Schritt vorwärts in Richtung Ausdrucksfreiheit, bricht mit einem rein clubbasierten Format und führt stattdessen in ein breiteres Hörgebiet. Sie entfaltet sich wie ein persönliches musikalisches Tagebuch, geprägt von Wahrnehmung, Erinnerung und Emotion.

Wie der Titel schon andeutet, hat die Platte eine spirituelle Unterströmung. Sie ist ein aufrichtiges klangliches Statement eines jungen Künstlers, der von einer klaren Absicht getrieben ist: Verletzlichkeit und Ehrlichkeit durch Klang auszudrücken.

Die EP lädt den Hörer dazu ein, die Erwartungen, die durch frühere Veröffentlichungen entstanden sind, loszulassen, während sie gleichzeitig die emotionale Intensität und die unverwechselbare klangliche Identität bewahrt, die dieses Werk in den letzten Jahren geprägt haben.“

Auf einer Reise vom zwölften Jahrhundert (Hildegard von Bingen) bis ins einundzwanzigste Jahrhundert
widmen sich The Gesualdo Six in einer bewegenden Musiksequenz von vierzehn Komponisten einer meditativen Reflexion rund um das alte Komplet. Unter der Leitung von Owain Park, der kürzlich zum nächsten
Chefdirigenten der BBC Singers ernannt wurde, haben sich die G6 einen Ruf als Sänger von „unbeschreiblicher stimmlicher Schönheit“ (The Times) und „strahlender stimmlicher Reinheit“ (The Guardian) erarbeitet. Ihr drittes Album Fading wurde 2020 mit dem Limelight Vocal Recording of the Year Award
ausgezeichnet.

With her highly anticipated CiCi (Deluxe) album, Grammy Award-winning icon Ciara steps fully into her power; reclaiming her narrative with clarity, confidence, and the most dynamic soundscape of her career. A celebration of freedom, femininity, and evolution, CiCi is more than a return — it’s a full-on reinvention.

The Deluxe Edition expands her sonic universe even further — introducing four new songs that fuse sensuality, rhythm, and empowerment with global influences—featuring standout singles like the globally acclaimed “Low” (with Diamond Platnumz), “Ecstasy” (featuring Normani & Teyana Taylor), “How We Roll” (with Chris Brown), amongst other hits, the project seamlessly blends Ciara’s R&B and pop legacy with futuristic production, cross-continental energy, and unfiltered storytelling. Among them, “Low” stands as a defining moment — an electrifying fusion of Afrobeats and R&B that bridges Atlanta and East Africa in one hypnotic groove. The visual, rich with dance-floor heat and unapologetic sensuality, showcases Ciara’s signature choreography and global reach, earning millions of views and sparking an international dance challenge.

For over two decades, Ciara has defined what it means to be a cultural force — from trendsetting choreography to genre-shaping hits. With CiCi (Deluxe), she bridges generations, reignites her core, and welcomes a new wave of fans into her world. It’s bold. It’s intimate. It’s CiCi. Behind the scenes, CiCi also marks a powerful chapter in Ciara’s entrepreneurial journey. Through her self-founded, female-led Beauty Marks Entertainment, Ciara has created a home for her music, media, film, fashion, tech, and philanthropic ventures. BME empowers her to own her narrative, lead with vision, and build legacy — on her terms.

For over a decade, Hyunhye Seo a core member of Xiu Xiu, in her solo work navigates the precarious edges where composition dissolves into pure gesture. Through ecstatic piano improvisations, restless percussive attacks and an expansive use of acoustic space, she constructs layered sonic environments that move across the boundaries of noise, avant-garde jazz, ambient and contemporary classical music. Her performances reveal an unfiltered process of listening and creation - a practice in which thinking becomes the enemy, and surrender the only viable strategy.

Continuation captures one such surrender. Recorded live at MAO - Museo d'Arte Orientale in Turin during the exhibition Rabbit Inhabits the Moon – The Art of Nam June Paik in the Mirror of Time, this cascading piano improvisation unfolds as a dialogue between performer, space and the particular acoustics of a museum built to house contemplative objects. Jamie Stewart processes the sound in real time; Giuseppe Ielasi shapes the final mix. What emerges is a work of charged immediacy - restless gestures giving way to passages of unexpected tenderness, noise and silence trading places in continuous exchange. The title is precise: this is music that refuses conclusion, that exists in a state of perpetual becoming. On Side B, Continuous Extension offers an unprecedented response. Phew - the pioneering figure of Japanese avant-garde music since the late 1970s - was invited by curators Chiara Lee and Freddie Murphy to reinterpret Seo's performance. Working with synthesizer and subtle processing, Phew distills the resonances of Continuation into a new electronic landscape - waves of abstraction that echo like reflections in sound, tracing the harmonic tensions of Seo's playing into territories she herself did not visit.

The accompanying booklet includes an essay by Bruno Lo Turco exploring the deep connections between improvisation and Buddhist thought, and a written reflection by Seo on her own practice of surrender and listening.

Continuation is released on Ubi Kū, the record label of the Unione Buddhista Italiana. The cover reproduces Avalokitesvara "Water and Moon" from the Museo d'Arte Orientale "E. Chiossone" in Genoa - the bodhisattva of compassion gazing at the reflection of the moon in water. Like that reflection, this music exists fully in the present, complete and unrepeatable.